Citalopram withdrawal for baby

[gingerbreadmousy]

Hi everyone

Has anyone had any experience of taking citalopram throughout pregnancy?

If so - what happened to the baby after birth in terms of withdrawal?

I am worried sick about potential withdrawal that the poor little thing might have to go through, so I'm trying to reduce my dose (very slowly) but it's hard.

Any advice much appreciated x

Hey, I took sertraline throughout pregnancy and suddenly stopped when he was 11 months. He didn’t notice a thing. The amount that passes through breast milk is minimal. Maybe you could change to sertraline like I did? It was a sudden switch, not gradual

Are you already pregnant?

What dose are you on? I took citalopram throughout pregnancy with my last DC. Absolutely no withdrawal issues for the baby (though I was exclusively breastfeeding, I don't know if that makes a difference as they continue getting some through the milk). Now pregnant again and still on citalopram, haven't met a health professional who's worried about it at all.

Hi there, congratulations on your pregnancy! I will be completely honest about my experience, I've been taking 20mg a day for 10 years.

2 doctors and a specialist advised me to stay on my medication during pregnancy as a happy mummy was best and there was a worry coming off the meds would send me into relapse.

At no point was I told about any effects on baby. My baby girl was born at 36 weeks due to pre eclampsia (unrelated), and we noticed within hours that she was very shaky and jittery. She was also very drowsy and would visibly shake in her sleep and would throw her arms and legs out. I was very scared and ended up in tears thinking it was neurological as nobody had warned me at any point it could be the citalopram.

A peadetrician was called to examine her and she was diagnosed with withdrawal. Treatment was swaddling her and giving her a dummy to calm her, this helped. They advised the jitters would stop in 3-4 days and this was true, in a week she was like w different baby.

However I was terrified and wish someone had warned me about the effect on baby, I had no idea but after doing my own research it was clear that she had it. And that was on a relatively low dose.

Looking back, I think if I knew the effect on baby I'd have stayed on the dose, as she was completely fine in a week and it meant I was happy and healthy in pregnancy. But I really wished I had been warned, as at the time I was terrified something was wrong with my baby then was wracked with guilt my medication had done that to her.

However in the end it was all very short lived, and now she is absolutely fine.

Sorry I said congratulations assuming you are pregnant! Apologies if jumping the gun! Also I forgot to say, I couldn't breastfeed but the midwives told me she would have got a bit in the milk if I had, and this may have helped with her symptoms.

Thanks for all the replies

Yes I am pregnant - 29 weeks
Been having therapy and trying to reduce dose for a while but struggling

Hannah - I'm sorry you had to go through that, it's shocking that you weren't warned about that potentially happening! I hope all is ok now though 😊

Going to speak to midwife about it I think - weighing up the pros and cons

Also I will try to BF but it's my first so I don't know how I'll get on yet

All is fine now thank you! She suffered no long term effects at all.

Don't feel bad at all for taking the medication. Like I said even though my baby was affected, I wouldn't change my decision now. It's a very personal choice though!

I really hope my post didn't worry you, it could be my baby was more affected due to her prematurity too. I just would have liked it if someone had given me some warning, I wouldn't have worried nearly as much xx

I was on citalopram during my first pregnancy, 20mg daily. My son was perfect but he did suffer withdrawals - as the lady above said my boy was very shaky and his breathing was too fast so when he was about 24 hours old he was taken into special care. They monitored him throughout the withdrawal (36hrs) and he was fine. I was so devastated that something I took had caused him to end up in special care but one of the paediatricians told me over and over that none of it was my fault and that I obviously needed the antidepressants to get through the pregnancy, which I did. I did get over that devastation and realised that I didn't do anything wrong. Just be aware when your baby is born and if you have any concerns get the midwife to check. Best of luck with the remainder of your pregnancy xx

Hannah - no worries and glad baby is ok 🙂 I appreciate the info!

HGpg - Thank you for sharing your experience - it means a lot. Going to have a think and a chat with the midwife

If you are on citalopram it is because YOU need it for depression or anxiety. Pregnancy can be stressful and make you anxious even if you have no history of anxiety - so it's not a good time to be stopping your meds. And then you will have a baby - and they can make anxious people more so, so again, keep taking the meds to maintain that balance and ability to see clearly.
20mg is not a huge dose - I take 40mg.
Talk to your midwife and make sure that there is a note on your file in big red letters about baby withdrawal. The first few days babies are crazy anyway, sleep/don't sleep, feed/won't feed - you are likely to feel that anything other than a gurgling bundle of joy is your fault - but sometimes newborns are just a pain in the arse hard work!
But if you have it on file, and your partner/birthing partner/mum/best mate also know then you will know that it will not be ignored.
Breastfeeding might help withdrawal but again, it takes a few days to get established/used to it, so if you don't get much breastmilk into the baby in those first few days, that is normal too. Persevere with breast feeding if you can because, in my experience, it is a good feeling to know that you can do this, if you are prone to anxiety about everything else baby related. But formula is just fine too, so don't let breastfeeding guilt become another anxiety feeder.
Good luck.